Inland Empire [Blu-ray]

Before I even start let's get one thing straight; this is not a film for sitting down and unwinding. You're not going to be constantly gripped, glued to the screen or in many respects entertained. I have to admit I found this film hard work and in may respects understand reviewers that were frustrated by this film or just didn't get it.

However, if you want to see a film for grown-ups (a rare thing I feel, as even most 18 certificate films treat me like I have a mental age of 3!) that will take some effort in viewing but stay with you for days and weeks (I saw it two weeks ago and can't get it out of my head) then this film is for you. It is as close to a work of art of any piece of cinema I've seen and would look completely at home played on loop in the Tate Modern.

I have no idea what it is about, and I'm someone who will happily explain the plot to Mullholland Drive (it makes that film look like Driving Miss Daisy) but there are scenes in it that are so powerful and memorable I feel that they're tattooed to the inside of my eyelids. The acting is incredible, the use of Digital Video by Lynch is masterful, the plot is inexplicable, the soundtrack is wonderful and I loved it (once it had permeated into my brain after about 3 days).

If your favourite film is "Love Actually" for heavens sake stay away! If you want to see what the most adventurous filmmaker in America is doing with modern technology and fancy a challenge, get this now!

I feel I should start off by saying that, despite what prejudices some people may have about fans of Lynch's films, I'm not one to simply proclaim anything he puts out as the product of genius. Despite the critical acclaim, I felt Mulholland Drive and especially Lost Highway were rather un-formed, self-indulgent films that suggested Lynch had lost the spark that made his earlier work so fascinating. After watching (enduring?) Inland Empire, I'm delighted to say I was totally in the wrong.

There seems little point in trying to outline the plot seeing as (a) plenty of other reviewers have done and will do and (b) there isn't one.

Suffice to say, after the relatively straightforward first hour, Inland Empire's undercurrent drags the viewer deep into a 2 hour nightmare involving the Polish underworld, murder, L.A. prostitutes and people in 6-foot rabbit costumes. Themes and variations thereof are repeated and re-visited throughout the film with different people, in different places and/ or at seperate times. Occasionally, Lynch teases the viewer by providing brief glimpses or snippets of information that may give us a clue as to what might be going on. But, just as quickly, they're snatched away again.

It seem pointless even to mention that this film is likely to be very limited in its appeal and the 3 hour length only adds to its apparent impenetrability. But, for those able to keep an open-mind and just delight in being confounded for the duration of the feature, I believe there's no end to the number of times you could re-visit and find new aspects to it. I genuinally felt dis-orientated for several minutes after leaving the film.

I don't pretend to fully understand the meaning of the film (if there even is one), but Inland Empire has stuck in my mind since I first saw it more than 2 months ago. I can't give a film higher praise than that.

An aspiring actrees finds herself trapped in the plot of a cursed Polish movie's remake she's starring in.
Chased through different settings and universes by a malevolent entity known as The Phantom, her story collides with others, each one with it's own protagonists; A sitcom starring a family of depressed antropomorphic rabbits who constantly talk about time, a group of eastern hookers (who may be living either in the present or in the past), murderous wives and a lonely girl trapped inside an abandoned hotel room.

David Lynch's Ambitious and apparently final movie is a sure treat for fans of the surreal and darkly unsettling universe created by the director's earlier works, filled with trademarks and references, Inland Empire pushes the envelope even further than Eraserhead, right into the subconscious of the viewer; especially for the open-minded to this particular kind of experience.
The plot itself, highly confusing actually, sometimes feels nothing else but an excuse for Lynch's pleasure to showcase his most loved elements; double identities, dancing women, stroboscopic lights, scary glares, smoke and anything included in his Manual of the Weird, but is indeed a great example of self-celebrative cinema; a resume of Lynch's journey through filmmaking; not pretentious at all but a dazzling and unexpected essay of its own.

The blu ray comes packed with all kind of extras mostly focusing on Lynch's persona rather than the actual making of; various interviews with the director and a documentary on his gallery of paintings in Paris; a sure treasure for the Lynch aficionados but the lack of several features available in the US edition like "More Things That Happened" a selection of deleted scenes, is certainly the biggest flaw of the Uk version (which is also why I didn't rate the product with 5-stars)

The image is presented in 1080p and despite the source material being shot with a digital handheld Sony camera (not exactly the best in image definition) the picture and sound are truly captivating and immersive; High Definition brings an all-new dimension for the movie; very little grain, great colour depth and detailed contours that perfectly renders the onirical visions shown on screen.

What else can be said about it? This edition is certainly the best so far in Europe to fully enjoy this masterpiece of the bizarre; however if you're looking for the Ultimate IE experience I suggest you to buy the US edition (don't know if it's available in blu ray though) or wait for a proper R2 version to be released.